The road to the bakery was short, but Yan and Magby took a full hour to walk it.
It was the little guy's first time seeing Spirit City, and it had to stop and look at everything. Smoke rose outside the blacksmith's shop, so it wanted to watch; smoke rose from the grilled meat stall, so it wanted to watch that too; even when an old man put out his pipe, it stood on tiptoe and sniffed for ages.
Yan kept the three rules in mind the whole way. He did not let it touch things randomly, nor did he rush it along.
When they returned to the shop, the little bag on Magby's back held an extra sweet bread, while Yan carried a large paper bag traded for three plates of grilled Berries.
"Safe walk completed, Rotom."
Rotom stamped the final green circle on the Companion Card.
Yan did not ask about the result first. He opened the paper bag and placed the smallest loaf of bread in front of Magby.
"Are you still willing to come with me?"
Magby hugged the bread and nodded without even thinking.
"Training will be harder than roasting fruit slices, but there will be breaks too. When you don't want to train, just say so directly like you did yesterday."
"Magby."
"If your fire gets out of control, stop first."
"Magby."
"You can't just go off with someone because of sweet bread."
Magby lowered its head to look at the bread in its arms, and nodded a little more slowly.
Xie Yue said from the side, "That last rule still needs observation."
Yan turned back. "You're talking a lot today."
"I've been talking a lot since you tied on that apron."
Several Poké Balls sat on the counter. Yan had originally picked out a black-and-gold Luxury Ball, but Magby bypassed it and picked up the most ordinary Poké Ball.
The red and white suited its body well.
"This one?" Yan asked.
The little guy held the ball beside its head, indicating that the colors matched.
Yan glanced at the Luxury Ball, but did not try to persuade it again.
Magby raised a claw and touched the button, turning into red light and entering the ball. The Poké Ball stayed quiet for two breaths before opening on its own. It jumped back onto the ground, and the first thing it did was check whether the bread was still there.
"Companionship established, Rotom!"
Hu Liena and Eevee applauded together. Pancham also clapped its paws twice by the door. Zorua conjured more than a dozen hands and created a lively round of applause behind the counter.
Yan bent down and picked Magby up.
The next moment, he put it back down.
Its body temperature really was a little high.
"Walk by yourself for now."
Magby looked up at him, then lowered its head to look at the arm that had just held it.
Without changing expression, Yan tugged his sleeve down a little to cover the reddened spot.
Once the companionship ceremony ended, Xie Yue placed his application form before Xia Che.
"My turn."
Xia Che gave it a glance. Xie Yue's handwriting was much neater than Yan's. The time, residence, and task arrangements were all clearly written down, and he had even listed two people to care for it in an emergency.
"How long have you been preparing?"
"Since the day Nana drew Eevee."
Yan turned his head. "You said you wanted to keep observing back then."
"Observation and preparation can happen at the same time."
"Then why didn't you submit it yesterday?"
Xie Yue glanced at Magby. "I was afraid someone would think I was getting ahead of him."
Yan wanted to argue, but then realized he probably would have thought exactly that.
Xia Che returned the form to Xie Yue. "Before the draw, put down the weapons on you."
Xie Yue raised both hands. "I don't have any."
Indeedee brought over a wooden tray and stood quietly before him.
After a moment of silence, Xie Yue removed a short dagger from his waist.
Indeedee did not leave.
He pulled a thin blade from inside his boot.
The tray remained there.
Then came two small knives from his sleeves, a fine needle hidden in his hair tie, a spare blade tucked inside his waist sash, and a short awl pressed beneath his collar.
Seven items neatly filled the wooden tray.
Yan counted them. "You call that none?"
"I wasn't holding them."
"Then I didn't do the half-round training on my back either."
Xie Yue looked at him. "You admit there was writing on your back?"
Yan shut up.
Finally, Xie Yue voluntarily put away Martial Soul: Moon Blade and confirmed that no sharp aura remained on him. Only then did Indeedee carry off the tray and give him a claim slip listing the seven items.
A clearance mark lit up on Rotom's screen.
Xie Yue pressed the draw device.
Light and shadows flashed rapidly across the crystal surface. He did not stare at the taller silhouettes, nor did he guess at the type in advance. He simply watched the stance and movements of every shadow.
The figure that finally stopped was not tall.
Its head and arms bore silver-gray blades, while its body was mainly red and dark gray. It stood on a stone surface, golden eyes looking straight ahead.
"Pawniard, a Dark-type and Steel-type Pokémon. It has sharp blades all over its body, so be mindful of close-range contact while moving, Rotom."
Yan looked at Xie Yue, then at the crystal surface. "It really does suit you."
"How does it suit him?" Hu Liena asked.
"You both like hiding knives on yourselves."
Xie Yue held the claim slip and ignored him.
The cushions in the ordinary Encounter Room could easily be cut, so Indeedee opened the stone room to the side. Smooth stone slabs covered the floor, there were no curtains around the room, and even the edges of the tables and chairs had cut-resistant protective coverings.
Xie Yue walked in, and Pawniard was already standing at the opposite corner.
Neither of them approached at first sight.
Indeedee did not leave right away.
She laid a circle of yellow soft rope across the stone floor, then asked Pawniard to slowly spread its arms. The little guy looked at her and, after confirming it was only for measurement, extended the blades on both sides to their farthest reach.
Indeedee placed four cork markers along the points the blade tips could reach.
"Safety distance, Rotom." Rotom addressed everyone outside the window. "Without permission, do not approach from behind, and do not touch the blades on its head or arms."
Yan asked, "What about when it sleeps?"
Pawniard turned its head to look at him.
"I was just asking."
Indeedee took out several thick soft covers and asked whether she could temporarily put them over the blade tips. Pawniard reached out to touch one, then shook its head. It clearly disliked having unfamiliar things wrapped around its body.
She did not force the matter. She simply left the covers by the wall and expanded the yellow rope boundary instead.
Xie Yue watched the entire time.
"It's better without them," he said. "We should first learn how to get along in its original state."
Pawniard's golden eyes lingered on his face for a moment.
Zorua, however, found the covers quite interesting. When Indeedee turned around, it snatched one up and slipped it over the tip of its tail. Then it transformed into a form covered in silver blades and strutted two steps along the windowsill.
Magby's eyes lit up as it reached out to touch it.
"Don't touch." Yan promptly picked it up.
Zorua forgot that it was only an illusion. When it deliberately tossed its head, it misjudged the distance and rammed headfirst into the observation window.
Thud.
All the silver-gray blades scattered away, leaving only a little fox with a cork cover on its tail sprawled against the glass.
When Pawniard in the stone room saw that, even its gaze seemed to pause.
The corner of Xie Yue's lips twitched slightly. "Is the shop always this lively?"
"Today is considered quiet," Xia Che said.
Xie Yue was watching its arms, footing, and the angles at which it could turn around. Pawniard was also watching his shoulders, waist, and both empty hands, checking whether those places concealed any attacks.
One person and one Pokémon watched each other for more than ten breaths.
Yan grew impatient outside the observation window. "How long are you two going to keep looking?"
Xie Yue did not turn around. "Until we've seen enough."
Pawniard did not move either.
Zorua got up from the windowsill. It probably thought the scene was too quiet. With a flick of its tail, another Xie Yue suddenly appeared in the stone room.
The fake Xie Yue approached Pawniard from the side.
Its golden eyes immediately turned toward him.
Pawniard did not swing its arms. It only retreated half a step, angling the blade on its head between the two figures. That position allowed it to guard against the side while keeping watch over the real Xie Yue.
"Stop," Xie Yue said to Zorua.
The illusion dispersed.
Zorua was still unwilling to give up. It lowered its body and used the counter and window ledge for cover, preparing to sneak into the stone room itself and take the wooden chip on the floor.
This time, it had no illusion to conceal it.
The moment it stepped past the doorway, Pawniard turned its right arm. The sharp side faced itself, while the flat guard of its arm blocked Zorua, the movement swift and steady.
Zorua's nose bumped into the arm guard, and it fell backward onto its backside.
Pawniard did not pursue. It only pointed outside the yellow rope with its other claw.
Indeedee was also standing at the doorway watching it.
Zorua tucked its tail between its legs and obediently retreated outside.
Xie Yue noticed that Pawniard had deliberately turned its blade away just now, and his gaze softened slightly. Cautious though it was, it had not wildly swung its blades just because someone intruded.
Pawniard fixed its gaze on him again, its expression a little gentler than before.
Xie Yue raised his two empty hands and slowly took a step to the left.
Pawniard also shifted one step to the right, always keeping the same distance from him.
When he moved right, it moved left.
The two figures circled half the stone room, neither exposing their back.
Yan could not help asking, "What kind of thing is this?"
Xia Che took a loaf of bread from the paper bag in his hand. "Greeting."
"They haven't said a word."
"You said plenty yesterday and burned two pieces black."
Yan lowered his head to look at Magby.
The little guy was focused on eating its bread and clearly had not heard.
Inside the stone room, Xie Yue finally stopped.
He took out an unsharpened wooden chip, gently placed it on the ground, then stepped back.
"Want to do a low-speed footwork test?"
Pawniard lowered its head to glance at the wooden chip.
It extended its right arm and used the flattest side of its blade to push the chip to the center line.
It had agreed.
It was just that neither Pawniard nor Xie Yue took the first step.
Before you continue